To the town of Agua Fria
Rode a stranger one fine day

The start of this verse describes a stranger entering a town for the first time, as such I will have my music video beginning with the protagonist riding into a town, mirroring the song precisely.

Hardly spoke to folks around him
Didn’t have too much to say

This tells us that the stranger seemingly believes he has no real business in talking to the other people in the town. My music video will likely feature the protagonist walking by people, perhaps greeting them with a brief glance, but not actually interacting with them.

No one dared to ask to his business
No one dared to make a slip

In these lines, it is revealed that while the stranger himself is not talking to any of the townsfolk, they are also doing the same to him. However, the townspeople are doing so out of fear rather than an overall lack of curiosity. I am likely to showcase this by having a few of the townspeople being shown to be fearful of the protagonist, perhaps making sure to not make eye contact with him as he walks through the town.

For the stranger there among them
Had a big iron on his hip
Big iron on his hip

These lines reveal that the reason as to why the townsfolk are so scared of the stranger is that he is carrying a particularly intimidating revolver in his holster. Due to this, the townsfolk are presuming that he is here to do something bad, perhaps murder, and are thus to scared to work up the courage to ask him why he is actually here. When this part of the song begins to play, I am likely to showcase a weapon on the protagonist’s side for the first time in the video, having likely hidden it prior to this part.

It was early in the morning
When he rode into the town
He came riding from the south side
Slowly looking all around

This describes the events that took place when the stranger first entered the town. It shows him as being rather cautious as he makes his way from the entrance as he is making sure to analyse everything, perhaps looking for someone or something. I will convey this by having my protagonist slowly make his way through the town, a cold demeanour on his face as he makes sure to take a good look at all of his surroundings before progressing.

“He’s an outlaw loose and running”
Came the whisper from each lip
“And he’s here to do some business
With the big iron on his hip”
Big iron on his hip

Revealing the point of view of the townspeople themselves, these lines tell us that they believe the stranger is most likely an outlaw here to murder someone or even a group of people. Furthermore, it shows that while this is what the townsfolk believe, they are still too scared to act upon it or even confront the man. For these lines I am either going to simply show a group of townsfolk whispering to one another, or I am perhaps going to try synchronising the mouth of one of the townspeople with the lines spoken in the song.

In this town there lived an outlaw
By the name of Texas Red
Many men had tried to take him
And that many men were dead

This set of lines reveal the antagonist of the story, Texas Red, who is described as an outlaw who has killed many men that had tried to either arrest or kill him themselves. He is known to live in this town, which logically means that the Stranger is here for him. Much like the reveal within the song, I am going to reveal a new character as the antagonist. He will likely be on his own, as the townspeople are going to be just as scared of him as they are of the Stranger, if not more.

He was vicious and a killer
Though a youth of twenty four
And the notches on his pistol
Numbered one and nineteen more
One and nineteen more

Elaborating on Texas Red, it is revealed now that he is quite young, only twenty four years of age, yet he has already killed over 20 people, a rather scary amount. This builds him up to be quite a dangerous figure. For this scene, I am going to draw more attention to the weapon of the antagonist, hopefully being able to show the notches on his weapon listing the amount of murders that he has committed.

Now the stranger started talking
Made it plain to folks around
He was an Arizona ranger
Wouldn’t be too long in town

Subverting the expectations of both the townspeople and the person listening to the song, it is revealed that he is in fact a man of the law. To convey this, I am going to start the scene by having the protagonist finally talking to a person in the town, before showing him some form of identification to prove that he is in fact a member of the law.

He came here to take an outlaw
Back alive, or maybe dead
And he said it didn’t matter;
He was after Texas Red
After Texas Red

This finally reveals the stranger’s intent of bringing Texas Red to justice, helping the town in the process. To do this, I will have someone point the protagonist in the direction of the antagonist, building up to their eventual meeting.

Wasn’t long before the story
Was relayed to Texas Red
But the outlaw didn’t worry –
Men that tried before were dead

Somehow, Texas Red has found out about the Stranger’s intent. However instead of being fearful, or at least slightly cautious about him, Texas Red instead remains confident about the ordeal, believing that the Stranger will be unable to bring him down. I will show this by having one of the previously seen townsfolk telling the antagonist about the protagonists intentions, only for them to laugh it off.

Twenty men had tried to take him
Twenty men had made a slip
Twenty-one would be the ranger
With the big iron on his hip
Big iron on his hip

Once again reiterating the murder count of Texas Red, this goes one further and implies that the Stranger will merely be another addition to this number, just like all of those that tried before him. My plan is to have the antagonist look at the current number on his revolver, before glancing up and seeing the protagonist for the first time. They will likely stare at each other for a few moments before cutting to a later time.

The morning passed so quickly;
It was time for  them to meet
It was twenty past eleven
When they walked out in the street

This is clearly the first official time that the pair meet, standing across from each other on the street, ready to finally fight one another. I will show this in my video by presenting it just like an old western standoff, which is likely how this was intended to come off in the song itself.

Folks were watching from the windows
Everybody held their breath
They knew this handsome ranger
Was about to meet his death
About to meet his death

Once again portraying the feelings of the townspeople, these lines show that they believe that Texas Red is going to come out victorious from this duel, as opposed to the Stranger who is likely going to die. I am going to switch focus from the two duellists over to the bystanders for a few shots, showing them watching from their windows much like the song, with worried expressions across their faces.

There was forty feet between them
When they stopped to make their play
And the swiftness of the ranger
Is still talked about today

Bringing attention back once again to the Stranger and Texas Red, this perfectly captures the feeling of a gunfight straight from a classic spaghetti western movie. It also reveals that the Stranger to be have a faster draw than Texas Red, making him the victor.As such, I am going to do my best to recreate this feeling in my music video, hopefully building up the tension before the protagonist draws his gun and fires.

Texas Red had not cleared leather
‘Fore a bullet fairly ripped
And the ranger’s aim was deadly
With the big iron on his hip
Big iron on his hip

This further reveals that Texas Red had not even managed to draw his weapon from his holster before the Stranger had fired his, showing that the Stranger was in fact far superior to Texas Red despite everyone else’s doubts. To demonstrate this, I am going to make sure to bring attention to the fact that the antagonist had not even managed to draw his own gun before falling to the ground.

It was over in a moment
And the folks had gathered round
There before them lay the body
Of the outlaw on the ground

These lines emphasise just how soon the duel had finished due to the fast draw of the Stranger. This also tells us that Texas Red did in fact die, meaning that the Stranger can no longer take the outlaw back alive. I am going to show this by having a group of people surround the body of the antagonist, before the protagonist himself comes over to see his body as well.

Oh, he might have went on living
But he made one fatal slip
When he tried to match the ranger
With the big iron on his hip
Big iron on his hip

This cements the Stranger as arguably the best duellist in the west, having just defeated a man who had killed twenty people at this point. For these lines, I am going show the protagonist taking one last look at the antagonist’s body, this time with no other bystanders, before turning around and walking off.

Big iron, big iron
When he tried to match the ranger
With the big iron on his hip
Big iron on his hip

These ending lines simply reiterate the point of the Stranger being a dangerous person to confront. However, it also suggests that since he is a man of the law, he isn’t going to harm people unless they attack him first. This final scene will show the protagonist riding off into the distance.